Zero
Zero & Ichî ~Bond~ is the tenth overall chapter of the manga series Mamotte! Lollipop and the second of the two-part chapter “Zero & Ichî”. Plot As a storm rages on outside, Ichî sits insides the house, unable to think about Zero, who said he would meet Ichî outside in the park at 10, which has long gone by. Sarasa asks Ichî if he is all right, but he assures her that he is fine. He notices the time: 7 o’clock; he figures that Zero must have gone home by now, and that there is no way he would’ve stayed out in the rain so long. However, Ichî remembers Zero’s kind words to him about wanting to be his partner. Frustrated, a guilty Ichî grabs a coat and umbrella and goes out to find Zero. On his way to the park he keeps telling himself that Zero won’t be there, and that he is just checking to make sure. As he suspected, when he arrives at the park there is no sign of Zero. He turns to go, but then notices Zero laying unconscious on the ground. He thinks to himself of his previous words: he can only rely on himself and Sarasa. He rushes to Zero’s side, wondering how Zero could have been stupid enough to go out in the rain and wait for him. Ichî returns Zero to his house, knocking on the door and barging in when a maid opens it to see who it is. She follows Ichî, who explains that Zero has a fever and needs to get into bed before he gets worse; then Jeff appears. Zero is now sleeping in his bed, and Jeff tells Ichî that Zero simply has a cold and will be fine. He then leaves Zero’s room to get Ichî some tea. Ichî, now alone with an unconscious Zero, asks Zero if he is an idiot, wondering how anyone could be dumb enough to wait out in the rain for nine hours, and why Zero would do such a thing. Zero wakes up, and smiles upon seeing Ichî. He tells Ichî that he knew he would come, and apologizes for being sick, but he assures Ichî that he will get better and then they can start training and having fun together. Ichî tells Zero to stop smiling and screwing around, and he explains that he never had any intention of joining Zero in the first place. He simply planned on taking the money and leaving. He yells at Zero, telling him that all he was doing was using him. Ichî leaves, telling Zero that if he understands, to leave him alone from now on. Zero calls after Ichî, and Ichî simply looks back and tells Zero that he hates him. As Jeff enters the room, Ichî leaves quickly and without a word. As Ichî walks down the street he wonders why it is that Zero is bothering him. Ichî can usually do bad things without giving it a second thought, but with Zero he finds himself hesitating. He wonders if perhaps he’s the stupid one. The next day Ichî and Sarasa are walking down the street, Sarasa commenting on the lovely weather. She asks Ichî if he is all right, since he came home wet and upset the day before. She tells him that if anything happened he can tell her so that she can give him some advice. Across the street are Gomez and Guy, the two men Ichî had fought several days prior. Noticing Ichî and Sarasa, they see an opportunity to get payback. Ichî is about to ask Sarasa for the house key, but when he turns around he sees Gomez chloroforming her. Suddenly Guy comes up from behind Ichî with a rag dipped in chloroform. Zero comes by, noticing what is going on, and Ichî, whose mouth is no longer being covered, tells Zero to run. Before Zero can leave, another one of Guy’s lackeys comes up from behind and grabs Zero. Ichî, who has been drugged, collapses before he can do anything. Ichî later wakes up with his hands cuffed to a wall, Guy staring at him and giving his thanks. Zero, who is also being restrained, asks Ichî what is going on. Ichî scolds Zero, asking him why he was there in the first place, and Zero explains that he had come to talk to Ichî about what had happened the day before. Gomez brings Sarasa, whose hands are being restrained, forward. Ichî argues that she has nothing to do with this and demands they let her go, but Guy refuses, saying that it is more fun this way. Zero decides to use his Destruction Magic to break free of the shackles restraining him, but when he attempts to, he is shocked. Guy tells him that it is useless, as the restraints are magical, and then tells Ichî to just sit back and watch. Guy and Gomez start assaulting Sarasa, and Ichî is forced to watch, unable to do anything to help. Angered that he can’t do anything to help his loved ones, Ichî vows to become stronger, and then attempts to break free from his restraints. Guy tells him that it is useless, as magic has no effect on the shackles, and Ichî simply says that if that is the case, he will use force. Using sheer strength, Ichî breaks through his restraints. He makes eye contact with Zero, and then tells Guy and Gomez to let Sarasa go. Zero urges Ichî to free him so that he can help. Ichî argues that Zero’s body is still too weak, but Zero reminds Ichî that they are partners. Unable to help but grin, Ichî kicks Zero’s shackles, freeing him. Guy is shocked, but when Ichî mockingly asks him if he is prepared, Guy tells them that he, too, has a wizard. A new man appears, attacking Ichî with his magic, but Ichî absorbs the attack with his Defense Magic. He then tells Zero to move in for an attack, and Zero runs forward, releasing a magic fireball. Guy and his wizard companion are unharmed, and Guy informs Ichî and Zero that such an attack will have no effect on them. Ichî suggests that he and Zero use a different attack, and then he and Zero simultaneously cast a Destruction and Defense spell to throw back the wizard’s previous attack, defeating Guy and his lackey’s once and for all. Ichî rushes over to Sarasa, asking if she is okay, and suddenly Jeff appears outside of the building, explaining that he sensed Zero using his Destruction Magic; he is relieved to see that Sarasa is okay. Sarasa thanks Ichî again, and Ichî flicks her forehead, telling her that she isn’t obligated to thank him and telling her to go to her fiancé. Sarasa blushes, thanking Ichî and then running outside to hug Jeff. Zero asks Ichî if he is okay, pointing out that he also has feelings for Sarasa, but Ichî assures Zero that he will forget about it over time, looking at Zero and saying that he has someone else who is important to him now. Zero, however, is lost, not getting that Ichî is referring to him. Ichî blushes, rubbing his head and telling Zero that what he means is that he wants to help Zero pursue his dream. The two high five, and the story ends, returning to the present, where Zero is telling Ichî that he would never have sold his skateboard if he’d known Ichî was deceiving him. Ichî can’t believe Zero is still going on about that, pointing out that he paid him back. As the two bicker, Nina now understands that this is why the two of them trust each other so much, silently noting to herself just how amazing the two young wizards are. Category:Mamotte! Lollipop Category:Chapters